The invention relates generally to fences and fencing materials, and in particular to a removable fence. A tornado, hurricane, tropical storm, or other wind storm can cause catastrophic damage and injuries due to wind force. The second greatest cause of damage and injury is debris that has been picked up and propelled by the wind. After the storm has passed, the debris must be cleaned up. In many cases, structures which were built to withstand the wind are damaged or destroyed by debris, which may include roofing materials, traffic signs, and fencing materials. Any outdoor structure which can be quickly and easily taken down and securely stored will be safe from damage as well as being prevented from becoming damaging debris itself, and would be well received.
A search of the prior art reveals various devices which have been developed to provide a removable fence or barrier. None are closely related to the present invention, but several include features which resemble those of the present invention. Each has proven to be less than satisfactory for the present purpose in its own way.
Removable fence for table saw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,006 (filed Jan. 24, 1983), provides a removable fence which is positioned on a saw table by a locking mechanism located on the fence. The locking mechanism simultaneously grips a pair of blocks mounted on an endless flexible cable. The locking mechanism engages the blocks and raises them into frictional relation with an L-bracket mounted on the table thus preventing movement of the fence. The blocks are affixed to the cable at points equidistant from the plane of the saw blade, thereby insuring parallelism of the fence relative to the plane of the saw blade. Utilizing the flexibility of the cable which permits lateral movement, the fence is removed by releasing the locking mechanism and moving the blocks laterally away from the mechanism.
Dishwasher rack, U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,261 (filed Feb. 5, 1976), provides a rack structure for an automatic dishwasher. The rack structure comprises a plurality of wire members welded together to form a rectangular, openwork rack having a bottom, upstanding front and rear walls and upwardly and outwardly sloping side walls. At least one pair of removable fences is provided, each fence comprising a plurality of upstanding wire members with a horizontal wire member welded thereto and spaced upwardly from the bottom ends thereof. Means are provided to removably mount the fences within the rack structure in parallel spaced relationship to each other and to the rack structure side walls. The fence mounting means may be so configured as to provide more than one predetermined position in which each fence may be mounted, so as to render adjustable the distance between adjacent fences and the distance between each rack structure side wall and the adjacent one of the fences. Means may also be provided to lock each fence in its selected predetermined position in the fence mounting means. The wire members of the entire rack structure, including the removable fences, are coated with a protective plastic to prevent rust and corrosion thereof.
Portable pole systems for supporting fencing, game nets, rope line dividers, and for landscaping uses, and the like, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,135 (filed Jan. 19, 1999), provides a movable pole system supporting divider material such as fencing, netting, or rope divider between a plurality of laterally spaced vertical poles orientated in a predetermined ground pattern. Each pole contains one or more connectors secured to the exterior surface of the pole for supporting the mesh material. Each connector includes a quick connect and disconnect mechanism comprising at least three outwardly extending elbows each with a vertically disposed arm. The upwardly extending vertical arms are in cooperative combination with the downwardly depending vertical arms to facilitate connection and disconnection of the fencing, provided the exterior vertical arms are opposed in direction to the intervening interior vertical arm.
Fence assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,858 (filed Aug. 24, 1962), provides a fence assembly including ground-anchored standards. The fence assembly has particular relation to an arrangement having a more-or-less permanent ground anchoring stake portion, which includes a socket adapted for easy insertion and removal of the above-ground portion of a post, so that, in one manner of use, gateways may be provided by easy removal of fence sections and posts.
Portable safety fence system for construction sites, U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,209 (priority Mar. 31, 2000), provides a safety fence system enabling users to easily attach, adjust, move, and remove safety railings at a construction site. The safety fence system includes a plurality of fence post brackets and a plurality of fence panels. The fence post brackets each connect to a concrete slab or other floor of a building under construction by a C-shaped clamp member. The fence panels, such as chain link fence panels, are easily connected to the fence post brackets by slipping tubular end posts of the fence panels over short pipes on the clamp member.
Some of the prior art inventions present certain disadvantages. The present invention has been developed for the purpose of addressing and resolving these disadvantages, by enabling the temporary removal of a fence as a wind storm is approaching. A removable fence, which provides threaded lockbars and wingnuts enabling users to quickly and easily remove sections of the fence from the fenceposts without the use of tools, would resolve this problem.